Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

ft.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 323 posts

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#101

Post by ralusek »

minikites wrote: post #18
taborj wrote: post #5

They mention archiving a bunch of Trump stuff, but are they just focusing on conservatives? There's a bunch of misinformation on both sides, and if they're really after the truth, they should be paying the same amount of time and attention to both right and left. Somewhat related: it's sad but perhaps not inevitable that everyone basically has to do their own research to find out what's actually going on. These days,…

>This means I oftentimes find myself looking at the raw numbers of, say, gun deaths or immigration numbers, etc. Data is meaningless without context and context is inevitably political and subject to bias.

Context is data. All you're saying is that data is better when there is additional relevant data. Yes...

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#102

Post by pbhjpbhj »

ticmasta wrote: post #97
blackflame7000 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea but I can't just copy a website and start hosting my own version for numerous copyright reasons even if it is just to archive. I can't for example torrent a bunch of movies and store them for the purpose of "archiving"

Actually, a library is a specific legal context that does allow it to do many things similar to what you're describing. It can't steal movies for archiving, but it certainly can purchase and share legally procured copies. Digital sharing is an admittedly more complex minefield...

In USA. I assume that's where you're talking about.

In UK certain libraries can archive (British Library) following a recent change in the law, IIRC. People wanting to access the archive may only do so by physically visiting the library.

AFAICT archive.org are flouting copyright law around the World already, they should continue to be cautious about assuming rights IMO.

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#103

Post by efa »

weberc2 wrote: post #19
SamBam wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gives you the impression that they're "focusing on conservatives?" Do you have evidence for this statement? You mention archiving Trump's tweets. Do you think that they might do this because he is the President of the United States?

(I don't have a dog in this fight) From TFA: "The result is Trump and Brexit!" and generally the lack of anything disparaging toward the left. The article and the Internet Archive plainly isn't "focused on conservatives", but it sort of undermines its purported mission (commitment to preserving the truth) in the implication that conservatives are unique in espousing misinformation, even if the implication is unintent…

Yes, for an organization that should be above it all, why would you even mention any political preference. They are are a machine that sucks down data. They should have no opinion of the data (as an organization).

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#104

Post by devmunchies »

>But Mr Graham argued that simply removing false information or offensive content isn’t necessarily the answer. Hateful material need not remain publicly available, he said, but certain researchers and politicians should be able to study it.

They're planting the seed and seeing how the public reacts. This is ridiculous! Mark something "controversial", "possibly fake", but don't memory-hole us. An archive only archiving history they agree with is not worth the funding.

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#105

Post by aidenn0 »

ticmasta wrote: post #97
blackflame7000 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea but I can't just copy a website and start hosting my own version for numerous copyright reasons even if it is just to archive. I can't for example torrent a bunch of movies and store them for the purpose of "archiving"

Actually, a library is a specific legal context that does allow it to do many things similar to what you're describing. It can't steal movies for archiving, but it certainly can purchase and share legally procured copies. Digital sharing is an admittedly more complex minefield...

While libraries do have special protections, sharing legally procured physical copies is more broadly protected due to the first-sale doctrine.

However, libraries do have an exemption to the ban on renting music recordings (after the broad availability of audio cassette recorders, congress made renting music illegal, but libraries and schools can still loan them out).

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#106

Post by LukeShu »

rasz wrote: post #11
gwern wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The IA actually has a DMCA exemption for the pirated games: https://archive.org/about/dmca.php

Not so sure about that, their big Amiga collection lasted couple of days.

Specifically, the part of the DMCA that the exemption is for is the part that makes it criminal to bypass copy-protection; it does not grant them additional rights to make or distribute copies.

There are lots of forms of copying where the copying itself is legal under copyright law. However, the DMCA made it criminal to bypass copy-protection mechanisms, even if they copying itself would otherwise be legal. That's what the exception was for.

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#107

Post by devmunchies »

ravenstine wrote: post #96

Archiving the web is a fine thing on its own, but why must everything become a "war" against misinformation, fake news, etc.? It can simply be a side benefit to having the Internet Archive. But I'm wary of anyone who claims to be trying to combat misinformation, because usually there's a political agenda. (and I don't care whose agenda it is, but by all means, downvote me...) I don't want the Internet Archive to be a…

agree. the unix philosophy. This service only archives the web. To know whether the content is true, see:

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#108

Post by Swenrekcah »

afiori wrote: post #90
Swenrekcah wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree but I specifically mentioned the topics of Brexit and the admittetly broader ‘Trumpism’. On these topics the asymmetry is phenomenal. Take the recent ‘sharpiegate’ as an example for how little regard, contempt even, Trump has for the truth and facts.

While I agree that Trump has no qualms in lying to cover his mistakes, the left and the media have no qualms in misinterpreting what Trump says and does.

Some try their best to be fair, I'd like to name the Economist as one. It is unfortunate however that the nature of media monetization encourages inaccurate exaggerations if they make Trump seem even more of a buffoon than he really and truly is.

However, we really should put much more pressure on elected officials to be truthful and show of integrity, than we should put on the media or people in general.

Re: The Internet Archive is waging war on misinformation

#109

Post by Cuuugi »

TomMckenny wrote: post #55
IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're criticising the article for making an argument that you realise is happening entirely in your head?

All fact checking is opposed by the far-right worldwide (and is in fact a threat). Justification for opposing it is sought after the opinion has been formed. And since denouncing facts themselves doesn't work in all societies yet, opposition requires quite a bit of mental gymnastics and fallacious reasoning like "all sides lie" or, with no justification, "fact checkers strategically target lies that serve my politica…

cough https://www.politifact.com/subjects/corrections-and-updates/
Post reply on HN